Phil Knight background

Stanford University announced these days the Knight-Hennessy Scholars Program, a graduate-level grant to prepare an innovative new generation of international leaders with the abilities to address the increasingly complex challenges dealing with the entire world.

The program is termed for alumnus Philip H. Knight, MBA ’62, philanthropist, United states businessman and co-founder of Nike Inc., who is contributing $400 million, and Stanford’s outgoing tenth President John L. Hennessy. This system creates on Stanford’s preeminent place in degree, with seven globally rated multidisciplinary graduate schools that foster service, collaboration, innovation and entrepreneurship.

Committed in scope and scale, Knight-Hennessy Scholars will yearly acknowledge 100 high-achieving students with demonstrated leadership and civic dedication, that nominated by their particular undergraduate universities. The aim is to select pupils from an array of backgrounds and nationalities. Upon admittance to Stanford’s graduate programs, scholars will receive capital for three years to follow master’s or doctorate degree degrees, or expert programs and knowledge in leadership, innovation alongside curricula made to develop scholars’ capacity to lead bold change in a complex world.

“We wished to produce one thing enduring, that might be unlike other things currently available into world’s brightest thoughts, and therefore will make the greatest influence possible toward solving global challenges impacting the environmental surroundings, wellness, knowledge and human liberties, ” stated Stanford President John Hennessy, who can act as the program’s inaugural director after going down from his current role as president. “We brings collectively outstanding, courageous scholars to benefit from Stanford’s innovative academic environment, which after that go on to guide governments, organizations, nonprofits as well as other complex businesses and develop imaginative solutions to effect good modification.”

With a $750 million endowment, the Knight-Hennessy Scholars is the largest totally endowed grant program in the field. A lot more than 80 percent of this endowment will straight support the scholars, fully funding their particular graduate training and bills. This system presents the greatest single rise in student educational funding in Stanford’s record. The scale of money for Knight-Hennessy Scholars will guarantee continuity for years ahead.

a faculty consultative committee will help guide admission and curriculum requirements which will be for sale in the wintertime of 2017. Stanford will start accepting programs from prospective scholars – pupils that have finished at the very least three-years of undergraduate knowledge – in summer 2017 and admit its very first scholars for fall 2018.

Knight-Hennessy Scholars integrates the most effective facets of other distinguished scholarship programs, but goes beyond them to supply a diverse, multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary education which a characteristic of Stanford. Placed one of the top five in the field, Stanford’s seven graduate and expert schools where scholars will enlist consist of legislation; company; medicine; manufacturing; humanities and sciences; training; and world, power and ecological sciences. Scholars following PhD or MD levels need the choice to get funding beyond 36 months.

The scholars can benefit from Stanford’s location inside development center worldwide, with additional programs in design thinking, innovation and entrepreneurship. Knight-Hennessy Scholars is likewise exposed to leadership instruction and development, domestic experiences, immersive educational options, extra level options centered on community policy and problem-solving at scale. A social startup fund are intended to seed nonprofit startups established by Knight-Hennessy alumni.

The Knight-Hennessy Scholars system features powerful assistance from the Stanford Board of Trustees and Stanford’s next president.

“we greatly admire the vision and aspiration of Knight-Hennessy Scholars, which leverages the full breadth and scope of Stanford as a comprehensive research college. As beneficiary of a Rhodes Scholarship, i could attest to the worthiness of these programs to present an extensive base of real information and experience of a dynamic, international network of colleagues, ” stated Marc Tessier-Lavigne, who'll become successful Hennessy as Stanford’s 11th president on Sept. 1. “As incoming president, I’m looking towards working closely with John even as we develop, establish and develop an application that will inspire leadership for the betterment of mankind.”

Knight’s founding gift to the Knight-Hennessy Scholars endowment could be the largest money gift from a person to Stanford. Various other gift ideas include a $100 million contribution from Robert King, MBA ’60, and his wife, Dorothy, and $50 million from Stanford Board of Trustees Chair Steven Denning, MBA ’78, along with his wife, Roberta, AB ’75, MBA ’78. Overall, dozens of Stanford benefactors have actually provided a lot more than $700 million to guide this program, a lot more than 90 per cent associated with the endowment goal.

Knight is definitely a supporter of Stanford. In 2006, he made a significant gift to Stanford scholar School of Business and it has provided considerable support for endowed professorships and Stanford Athletics. With this present, Knight desired to honor Hennessy’s 16-year tenure leading Stanford and fund an initiative of scope and scale at an institution in which he had been confident the graduates would carry on in order to make an actual difference.

“John and I dream of a future 20, 30 or 50 years from now, whenever huge number of graduates – who can believe outside the package as skilled problem-solvers – will likely be working together for a far more peaceful, habitable globe, ” stated Knight. “The Knight-Hennessy Scholars program is a fitting tribute to John, among great academic frontrunners of our time.”

The $100 million gift from Robert King along with his spouse, Dorothy, will fund a cohort of scholars from less financially developed parts of the whole world. It will support the King international Leadership Program, a distinctive education and development curriculum which all Knight-Hennessy Scholars will participate to fit their core degree researches.

“While we have experienced great achievements within century, future development depends upon our ability to handle dilemmas eg international poverty. By pinpointing rising frontrunners from around the entire world and revealing all of them to real-life challenges, the Knight-Hennessy Scholars system will provide scholars to lead ambitious modification, ” stated King.

Steven Denning and his wife, Roberta, have supplied a present of $50 million to make Denning House inside heart of Stanford campus, a building that'll end up being the convening hub the brand-new neighborhood of Knight-Hennessy Scholars. The 300 Knight-Hennessy Scholars may be housed and incorporated inside the Stanford graduate neighborhood of 9, 000 students.